Azul Hospitality Group announced on October 1, 2026, the successful conversion and repositioning of the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa into Hotel Solea, a property within Marriott’s Autograph Collection. The transformation was completed in March 2026 in Carlsbad, California.
As part of the repositioning, the resort underwent a comprehensive, multi-million-dollar renovation. Azul Hospitality Group managed the operational transition on behalf of Grand Pacific Resorts, the property owner, overseeing all aspects of the conversion while maintaining daily operations throughout the process.
Hotel Solea now features 201 guestrooms and suites. The resort includes several food-and-beverage venues, notably the signature restaurant Verise. It
offers more than 70,000 square feet of combined indoor and outdoor meeting and event spaces catering to both lifestyle and business gatherings.
The repositioning was designed to align the resort with contemporary lifestyle travelers and group customers. It also places Hotel Solea as a distinct lifestyle destination within the Southern California market, enhancing its positioning within Marriott’s portfolio.
Alvaro Fraile, CEO of Azul Hospitality Group, stated, “Successfully repositioning a large-scale resort from a Sheraton to part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection required close alignment across operations, ownership, brand standards, design, commercial strategy, and guest experience.” He added, “This project reflects Azul’s
ability to execute highly complex hotel transformations while preserving operational performance and elevating long-term asset positioning. We are proud to continue our partnership with Grand Pacific Resorts and help bring Hotel Solea to life as a differentiated lifestyle destination within the Southern California market.”
Timothy Stripe, co-president of Grand Pacific Resorts, commented, “The transformation of Hotel Solea represents an important strategic investment in the long-term evolution of the asset. Azul played a critical role in managing the operational complexity of this transition while helping reposition the property to better align with today’s lifestyle traveler and group customer. The result is
stronger long-term positioning for the asset.”
Guests of the property may encounter new branding and potentially changed amenities following the repositioning. Details regarding specific renovation elements and any pricing adjustments have not been disclosed.
